


His Girl

by LysCat



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-17 05:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15454641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LysCat/pseuds/LysCat
Summary: The Avengers are very aware of Coulson and SHIELD. Daisy has a slight crush on one Captain America, but only sees her as Coulson's girl...until he doesn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after CA: Cival War and the events of season 3 of AOS. I've twaked a few things around to make it fit, so I do apologize if certain events aren't quite what happened at the end of the season.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel.

Chapter 1

The first time Steve Rogers met Daisy Johnson, she was going by the name Skye, no last name. She’d just woken up from a life-threatening situation and though she’d been in good spirits given the circumstance, he remembered how small she looked in that hospital bed. It was before things had grown complicated, or rather, more complicated. SHIELD had been SHIELD and Hydra was nothing more than a word of days long since passed. 

After the battle of New York, the Avengers had been shocked to learn that one Philip Coulson survived Loki’s attack. As the agent was running his own team, they’d never run into him at the HUB, but there had been several emotional telephone conversations between said agent and Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. 

When Coulson called them from Zurich, begging for their help, his team was introduced to the Avengers for the first time. The consultant on his team had taken two gunshots to the gut and her life was hanging in the balance. When the team landed at Avengers’ Tower, she’d been whisked off to the medical bay while Coulson spoke privately with the team of superheroes.   
When Tony revealed that even with all his fancy tech there wasn’t much he could do for Coulson’s gal, it was then that Coulson went further into detail about GH-325 and how it had been used to bring him back after New York. “No one other than Fury, Hill, myself and now you, know about it,” the agent confessed. “And it needs to stay with that way.” 

With that thought in mind, a mission was formed to find the facility. He joined Coulson along with Natasha, Tony, Coulson’s friend John Garrett and members from both SHIELD teams to locate the building. Under strict instructions, no one was to speak about the alien being or the DNA that was pulled from it in front of Coulson’s team or John Garrett and his team.   
An hour after being given the GH-325, Skye was conscious. Her team surrounded her, and as an outsider looking in, it was easy to see the comradery between them. The group obviously shared a bond with one another, however, he was very cognizant of the fact that what existed between Coulson and his hacker went far deeper than the ties they may have had with the rest of the team. The man obviously held her in high regard, Steve would liken it almost as a parent doting on their child, and it was reciprocated. Whatever relationships she had with the rest of the team, they were overshadowed by her affection for Coulson. It was then that Steve had begun to think of her as Coulson’s girl. 

Looking away from Coulson and Jemma, Skye immediately sought Ward. For the past several weeks, she had noticed that something changed in her relationship with her SO. She’d begun to notice lingering looks from Ward, and every time it was enough to make her pulse quicken. She wasn’t exactly sure what his relationship with Melinda was, but her feelings for the dark-haired agent had changed. When the intense gaze Ward sent her way made her realize she could easily embarrass herself in front of the rest of the team, Skye forced herself to pull her attention from him. Casting one more look around at her teammates, she looked towards the door upon feeling as if she was being watched. The sight that greeted her was more than a little surprising. 

Her eyes widened in shock. The Avengers? Coulson called the Avengers? She’d never met any of them in person, though she did have a bit of a fangirl phase at one point. It was something that she’d never confess to any of her teammates, nor would she. Coulson began to introduce them to her, as if she needed one… Brushing her hands through her hair, she cleared her throat and greeted each of them. However, once her gaze settled on Steve Rogers, they continued to travel back towards him during introductions.   
Steve offered the young woman a polite smile. He’d thought it was amusing, that even though she’d been so close to death, she’d been worried about her appearance in front of them. “We should be heading back now,” he said, looking towards Coulson. Stretching out his hand, he waited for the agent to shake it.

“Thank you for your help, Captain,” Coulson replied. 

Steve nodded at him before turning back towards the patient. “I’m glad you’re doing better Ms. Skye.” He watched her shift uncomfortably as she offered him a smile. Turning around, he made his way towards Nat and Tony.

“Did you notice the way she was looking at you?” Natasha asked quietly as they made their way towards the jet. “I think she was a little infatuated with you,” she tacked on, nudging his shoulder with her own. 

His cheeks flamed in embarrassment. He had to admit she was pretty thing. He’d caught the look from the young woman but had done his best not to focus or encourage it. Women tended to fawn over him and he’d gotten very good at pretending not to notice when it happened. Not only would he not encourage it because he wasn’t interested in a relationship, she was Coulson’s girl and he could never entertain the thought of anything romantic growing between them. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The second time he met Daisy had been after SHIELD fell to Hydra. He’d hoped that since Coulson’s team had been out on their own that they would have been spared by the treachery and methodic take-over. When he received a call from Maria Hill asking for his help dealing with a situation with Coulson’s team, he’d been ready. After discovering the Winter Soldier was none other than his old friend, he’d been doing whatever he could to keep himself busy so as not to stress over it while he and Nat had tried to locate him. 

Having met Grant Ward and witnessing the friendship the team shared, he’d felt sympathy for the fact that the agent ended up being a traitor in the end. He remembered taking note of the way that the man looked at Skye and how determined he’d been to help her after she’d been shot. Steve knew the closeness that could develop between a SO and their rookie. However, upon meeting Coulson’s team for the first time, he could easily see that whatever was between Skye and her SO was so much more than that of the closeness between a rookie and her SO. When it was revealed that Ward had kidnapped Skye, he’d been floored. While Maria and Gabe Jones’ grandson distracted the Hydra operative, he and Coulson were able to rescue Skye from Ward’s jet. As soon as he and Coulson made it into the room she’d been locked in, he was once again reminded of the fact that she was Coulson’s girl by the way the man instantly enveloped her into a big hug before they made their way off the jet and to safety. 

Compared to other situations he’d faced, it was relatively easy to slip in and out undetected, but he’d been thankful for the distraction. Once they were away from the Hydra agent, he’d taken notice that Skye appeared a little more jaded than she had been before and he was honestly sorrowful for her loss of innocence. 

“Coulson mentioned that you were trying to track down the Winter Soldier,” Skye said quietly as the group around them slowly dwindled until they were the remaining two left at the table.

He nodded slowly, unsure of where she was going with the question. 

“If you’d like, I could help. I’m really good with computers.”

As appreciative as he was for the offer, he didn’t right accepting her offer. “Nat’s already helping me out with it but thank you.” He watched her face fall slightly. “Besides, don’t you have better things to do with your time?”

“I just…” she hesitated for the moment. “This is the second time you’ve helped me, saved me. And…I just wanted to return the favor.”

“I do appreciate it, but it really isn’t necessary,” he denied before excusing himself from the young woman and tracking down Coulson. Since she’d first seen him during the rescue mission, he was beginning to notice a look in Skye’s eyes whenever she looked at him. Not only could he see a certain interest in them, but there was also a bit of hero worship, both of which left him feeling uncomfortable.

After he left the group and returned to his life, he learned that the situation with Ward grew more dangerous. In the end, the group saved the metaphoric day, but not without permanent scars. Leopold Fitz had suffered brain damage and Steve had known that they had a long road ahead of them. His choice not to encourage any sort of anything with Skye was the right decision as her skills would be needed elsewhere.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The third time he met her had also been under duress. Coulson called him in alarm, sharing the fact that the team discovered an alien city, losing one team member in the process as well as Skye developing disturbing abilities that she was unable to control. The rest of the team was uneasy around her and considering the fact that the director was dealing with a ‘rogue’ faction of SHIELD, he didn’t trust that she wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire. She’d been taken to a safehouse, the same one he’d stayed in once upon a time. He and Hawkeye met her there, keeping her company until they were called away to deal with their own situation. 

It had been the first time that he’d really had a chance to get to know her. When they first arrived to the property, she’d been an emotional wreck. All he and Hawkeye knew was that her emotions were tied to her abilities, and she wouldn’t be able to begin learning to control them until her emotions were under control. Neither Avenger appreciated the fact that Coulson’s team had taken to knocking Daisy out rather than helping her work through it. Clint had been the one to suggest they head to an open area outdoors so that she could begin processing her emotions without the roof of the cabin caving in on them. 

Though they already knew the story, she shared the ordeal of her confrontation with Ian Quinn, being shot and almost dying until she was injected with the same serum that brought Coulson back to life. Both Avengers nodded, already aware of the properties of the serum. However, they didn’t know how it affected people. She spoke of Coulson’s obsessive carving and the discovery that there of an alien city under water as well as the fact that Hydra was looking for it as well. She explained being taken by them and being introduced to the leader, a man that should have died of natural causes long before then. Daisy learned the truth of her parentage through him before being introduced to her father for the first time and learning that she was just as ‘special’ as her mother. She shared her decision to follow one of Hydra’s associates into the Alien city, not realizing Trip was following her and the guilt she felt for his death. She explained how she’d gone through her transformation and her inability to control it. When she mentioned catching the interest of a blue alien and a friend of Thor’s from Asgard, Lady Sif, as well as the offer given from Lady Sif to bring her to Asgard, Steve had been completely surprised. He briefly wondered if Thor was aware of it but was quickly pulled back into the story when she explained every minute detail that led to her sitting in front of them. 

It seemed as if the earth that surrounded them began to tremor from the moment her story started. When she became increasingly upset, the tremors turned into rumbles before he and Clint would rush to her side in effort to calm her before the shaking became too bad. Clint showed her a few breathing techniques she could use to potentially calm herself quicker without having to be knocked out. His heart went out to Skye and the troubles she’d faced. By the time they returned to the cabin, her eyes were swollen from crying and he realized it was the first time he’d thought of her as Skye, not Coulson’s Skye, just Skye. 

The following morning, she actually smiled at one of Clint’s over-the-top stories. She claimed it had been her first true smile since everything happened. Clint suggested that she ask Coulson to track down one of the psychologists that S.H.I.E.L.D used to use because she needed an impartial ear to talk to. Before noon, he and Clint were called away. As they left the cabin, Clint reminded her of the breathing techniques before rushing to the jet. 

Steve trailed slowly after his comrade. He assumed she was feeling better because he caught her looking at him more often than not since she’d joined them at the breakfast table. However, it didn’t quite bother him as it had before. Her eyes no longer held the hero worship which had made him uncomfortable. 

“Take care of yourself, Steve.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. He knew that she still had a long road ahead of her, but there’d been no doubt in his mind that she would overcome it. He’d given her one last look over his shoulder and smiled at the pretty woman before joining the archer. 

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~

The next time he’d seen her was the following summer. She no longer went by Skye, instead, she’d taken up the name her parents had given her. Daisy. Unlike the rest of their meetings, it had been a complete surprise to see her wandering his neighborhood. She’d been in New York following up on what the news had labeled an ‘alien contagion.’ She’d claimed so many things had happened since they’d last seen or spoken to one another. He asked her if she had time to spend the rest of the day with him, or them, as soon as he called the rest of his teammates. After making plans for everyone to meet up for dinner, Steve brought her to his apartment while they caught up with each other’s lives.

After she finished telling him everything that had gone on, he realized just how much she’d grown as a person since their first introduction while she had been laid up in a hospital bed. Daisy had finally grown into herself. Though he’d strictly compartmentalized her as ‘Coulson’s girl’ based on what he’d seen during their first interaction, there had been no denying her attractiveness. However, seeing her strong, confident and capable only added to it. Slowly but surely, she’d been shedding the title he’d given her. Every time he saw her, she was becoming less and less of Coulson’s Skye and more Daisy Johnson, attractive associate.

When her story finished, he pulled himself from his reflections and spoke up. “It’s nice that you’re doing that.”

She shrugged, hoping that her cheeks weren’t as red as she felt they were. It didn’t matter how many times she’d seen him in the past, she still found the man before as attractive as he’d been the first time they met. It hadn’t taken her long to realize just how transparent she’d been in her feelings for him and his disinterest. Instead, she pushed anything other than platonic emotions away. “Seeing as it’s my fault this happened in the first place, it didn’t seem right to just sit back and not doing anything about it.”

“You couldn’t have known that was going to happen…” Based on what she’d said of her mother’s intention, Daisy had done her best to protect the world.

Daisy sighed in resignation. “No, but I remember how I felt when I first got my powers,” she said softly. “Well, you saw me and what a mess I was. I hate that my actions have caused other people the same difficulties.” She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “So,” she exaggerated the word. “I saw that you guys had new members…”

He explained the Avenger’s latest assignment as well as Ultron’s motive and the role that the twins played under his instruction, until they witnessed things they didn’t agree with and turned to the Avengers for help. He did his best to explain Vision and how he had come about, though he was sure he’d butchered the explanation. He explained Pietro’s death and Wanda’s current address at the tower.

“You’ll meet Sam and Vision tonight for sure,” he tacked on when he finished his explanation. “I don’t know about Wanda though. She’s been through so much and after losing her brother, she tends to hide away a lot. Poor kid.”

“Must be rough,” Daisy replied. 

“She’s strong, she’ll pull through,” he shared. 

Steve and Daisy were the first people to arrive that night for dinner. She’d been excited when he’d offered her a ride on his bike. It was her first experience on one and she’d enjoyed it immensely. It also didn’t hurt having to wrap her arms around him from behind. She knew that he was fit, she’d seen his muscles through his shirts. However, seeing with her eyes and knowing from touch were two completely different things. However, by the time he parked, she made sure to be as cool as a cucumber.

Daisy was swiftly introduced to Vision, whom also resided at the tower. Thor was, understandably, not on Earth and Banner had disappeared without a word to anyone after Sokovia. Clint sent his regards, via Natasha, that he was unable to make it. Daisy had enjoyed meeting Sam Wilson and the pair struck up an easy friendship. Despite the noticeable absences around the table, dinner was boisterous affair. During their meal, Daisy had been able to get everyone up to speed on Coulson and the gang. She’d also shared the new project Coulson had her working on and how it unknowingly led her to Steve’s neighborhood. 

After dinner and a few drinks, Daisy bid them farewell claiming she had an early morning ahead of her. Steve, ever the gentleman followed her out. “If you’d like, I could drop you off at your hotel,” Steve offered. 

“Thanks, but I don’t want to put you out.” 

“I wouldn’t have offered if it was going to put me out,” he denied.

Growing tired of being passed by various taxies, Daisy whistled as loud as she could and watched with satisfaction as a cab pulled to a stop before her. She turned to look at her companion. “As much as I enjoyed our ride earlier, I don’t think that’s the best thing for me after having a few drinks.”

“I’m a safe driver, I would never let anything happen to you.” Okay, so he may have had a habit of driving a little over the speed limit, but he also had the reflexes of a cat.  
She tilted her head. “I know you wouldn’t, I meant more…my inability to hold on,” Daisy admitted sheepishly. “Thanks for today and tonight, I really enjoyed myself.”

A breeze began to pick up and he watched a section of her hair sway with it. Oddly, he found the desire to tuck it behind her ear but forced his hands to remain down at his sides. Mentally shaking his head, he wondered where such a thought came from. “We had fun too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Months, almost a year, had passed by the time Steve saw her again. After the events of the Sokovia Accords and walking away from the mantle of Captain America, he spent some time in Wakanda. After the way things fell between the group, he chose to spend most of his time away from the states. He returned every so often, but with no Avenger title and things stressed between everyone, it was easier to stay away. 

Despite the fact that he’d been reunited with Bucky and made some new friends, Tony’s actions hurt him more than he cared to admit. Tony had always been somewhat abrasive, but his actions during the accords were biting. It had been the start of the fissure in their friendship, proceeded by his desire for vengeance where Bucky was concerned. While he’d understood the billionaire’s actions, he couldn’t not protect Bucky. 

He’d just barely returned to the states; having arrived late one night or early in the morning depending on how one looked at it, when he received a call from Nat. Something had happened with Coulson’s team and a team member had lost his life. Daisy had split away from the group since then, and it was by chance when Natasha happened upon her. She’d opened her home to Daisy and though the Inhuman had taken her up on her offer, she’d remained mum about everything that had happened. The only reason why Nat even knew was because she’d called Coulson to ask him about it and even then, the assassin was sure she’d only received the cliff’s note version.

“What has she said?”

Natasha shook her head. “She isn’t saying much. As soon as I started speaking with her, I knew something wasn’t right. I ended up calling Coulson to ask him and…” She shook her head. “The team member that died, he and Daisy were sort of involved.”

Steve frowned upon hearing the news. He’d been so focused on what Natasha was saying, he missed the sound of a door opening and faint footsteps headed in their direction. It wasn’t until a new voice spoke up that he realized Daisy had joined them.

“It should have been me, I should have been the one in that jet.” 

Steve immediately turned his attention to the brunette and watched as Natasha approached her cautiously. “What you’re feeling is survivor’s guilt.”

Daisy immediately shook her head in denial “No. I should have been the one in that jet. There was an Inhuman, he…I saw my death through his powers. I should have been the one up there, not Lincoln.” She gave into the tears that had been threatening to fall and felt the redhead pull her into a hug. 

Watching her fall apart in Natasha’s embrace, Steve felt his heart aching for the pain she was experiencing. He’d felt a similar way upon waking up some sixty something years in the future. His future with Peggy had been ripped out his grasp and it had been a struggle coming to terms with his new reality. Years may have passed since he’d first awakened, but every so often the lost opportunity would taunt him and he’d feel the same flash of pain when he thought of Peggy.

“It was all my fault. I was the one that gave him what he needed follow through with his plan. If it wasn’t for me, there would have been no need to get him off the planet. I helped create the mess, I should have been the one to clean it up. I’d come to terms with it. I was ready.” She really had been ready to die.

He met Natasha’s gaze over Daisy’s shoulder, wondering if she understood what Daisy was talking about. Who was the ‘he’ she spoke of? With a barely perceptible shake of her head, he sighed before fishing his phone out of his pocket and leaving the room to call Coulson.

“That’s the first time that she’s cried since she got here,” Natasha admitted after Daisy excused herself and Steve returned. “What did Coulson have to say?”

“Nothing good.” He explained the mind control she’d been under as well as her actions, the plan for world domination and her break from the sway. He felt himself becoming just as worked up repeating the story as he had felt hearing it from Coulson. Perhaps his feelings were more sensitive because of the predicament Bucky had been in, but he’d been none too please to hear about the mind control. There was a constant ache in his heart for her and the pain she’d experienced. 

“As of right now, she has no intention of going back, not that I blame her,” Nat tacked on after hearing what Steve had to say. “I thought I would invite her to stay as long as she wanted.”

He arched an eyebrow at his former teammate. “You really think she’ll be apart from SHIELD long?” He was skeptical of that. Despite whatever personal issues Daisy was dealing with, he knew how important her team was to her and he couldn’t see her not returning to them.

The redhead shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “However, she isn’t ready to return and…if something were to come up, I think it’d be smart to keep her around, I mean…if she wanted to stay.”

While he understood the reasoning behind it, that would be asking a lot from Daisy. She’d been a part of an organization that pretty much worked in the shadows, but even then, the President acknowledged them. She’d be giving up everything to join them in their criminal status. “But what about the Accords and our current criminal status?”

Nat shrugged. “I thought we could talk to her, let her know how serious the situation was and let her decide for herself.” Aside from that, Daisy was already a vigilante of sorts when it came to fighting off the Watchdogs and helping any Inhuman that she could. If she kept up her actions, the people would view her the same way they viewed the Avengers after the accords. 

“I’m in.”

The declaration pulled at their attention and they found Daisy standing a few feet away looking at them expectantly. 

“Great,” Natasha smiled at her.

Steve shook his head in negative at the same time that Nat spoke. “Do you know what you’d be giving up? This isn’t going to be easy.”

Daisy shook her head. “As if the past few years have been?” She nearly scoffed. Nothing had been easy since before Hydra. “While I appreciate the warning, I’m a big girl, Steve.” She tilted her head towards him as if considering something else. “Aside from that, I would be the perfect liaison between the Avengers and SHIELD.”

He was very aware that she was a big girl, a woman. He had been for many months. “I just want you to be fully aware of the situation before you accept,” he tried to explain. “Clint has gone off on his own. Wanda, Vision, Sam, Nat and I are viewed as criminals. We spend a lot of time traveling, never staying in one place for very long. And when we’re here in the states, we have to lay low.”

She nodded. “I’ve been laying low for three years now. I don’t think joining you is going to be too different from what I’ve already had to deal with. I’m in.”

And that was how Daisy Johnson joined the ranks along with Sam Wilson and Wanda Maximoff.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first version of this chapter was almost 20 pages. Instead of posting one long chapter, I'm doing two shorter ones. Unfortunately, this chapter ended up being more of a 'filler' than anything.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel.

Chapter 2

Still jamming to the tunes that she had been during her work out, Daisy didn’t bother to remove her ear buds. Using a small towel that she had lying over her shoulder, she wiped off her excess sweat before casting a look around the room. It was still early enough that she figured everyone else was still asleep. She removed her tank top, in effort to cool herself down. Clad in her sports bra and yoga pants, she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. When one of her favorite songs started, she began dancing along to the music as she made her way down the hall towards her room to grab a change of clothes before showering. When she had everything she needed, she headed towards the bathroom. Eyes closed and swaying to the song, she reached for the handle only to find it missing. 

Opening her eyes, she jumped when she noticed she wasn’t alone. Steve stood before her, clad in only a towel as the steam from inside the bathroom slowly dissipated. Like a trashy romance novel, it was as if one of her dreams came to life, however instead of standing before him uncomfortably, she’d already be in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. His hair was still wet and when she noticed a single drop of water travel from his shoulder down his chiseled chest, she forced herself not to follow it. She met his gaze with what she hoped was an apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be up on this side of the house.”

It wasn’t until after he finished his shower that he realized he hadn’t brought a change of clothes. He’d never needed much sleep, but he’d awakened even earlier than he usually did. His work out had been more strenuous and afterwards, he’d decided to soak in the jet tub in the ‘other’ bathroom. He didn’t anticipate seeing anyone before he could make his way to his room, let alone Daisy. Subconsciously, his eyes traveled south, quickly realizing she wasn’t wearing a shirt over her sports bra. Steve cleared his throat and looked back at her face, hoping that she hadn’t noticed his faux pas. “No, I…uh, I should be the one apologizing. I wanted to use the jet tub,” he excused, scratching at the nonexistent itch on the back of his neck.   
“Yeah…it is a nice tub,” she replied, all the while mentally berating herself for her words. The tub was nice? She couldn’t have come up with anything better?! She couldn’t remember a time that she’d ever seen him so physically rigid, it was obvious that she was making him uncomfortable. Of course, he was uncomfortable, she was walking around in her sports bra! And he probably hadn’t said anything about it because he was too much of a gentleman to. 

“I should probably get dressed.” Though even as the words passed his lips, he made no effort to move as they looked awkwardly at each other.

Daisy nodded. “Probably,” she tacked on as if she hadn’t really heard what he’d said but agreeing with him anyway. When his words finally registered, she snapped out of her daze and stepped aside. As if a light switch was turned on, she shook the encounter off. “And I was blocking your way, wasn’t I?”

“It’s okay,” he voiced. Stepping out of the room, he squeezed past Daisy, frowning when he noticed that she appeared to go out of her way just to avoid touching him. 

Slipping into the room behind him, Daisy offered him a small smile. “See you at breakfast.” Without another word or waiting for his response, she closed and locked the door behind her before leaning against it. “Could you be any more pathetic?” She asked herself in a quiet tone, in case Steve was still close enough for his sensitive hearing to pick it up. “A nice tub? Really That was the best I could come up with?” 

She’d been so sure that whatever crush she’d once harbored on him had faded away. Between the length of time that she last saw him through her decision to join him and Natasha, months had passed. How could she have fallen for him again? It didn’t take much for her to comprehend that she’d been so transparent when it came to her attraction to him and it had caused him to put up a wall between them. She’d even moved on, she hadn’t expected to fall for Lincoln, but she couldn’t say that she regretted it. He’d been the first example of what a relationship should and could be; and she’d honestly mourned for him when he died. It had only been a few months since his death, since she’d arrived on Nat’s doorstep. How could her feelings for Steve have picked up without her even realizing it? She couldn’t allow herself to go there. He was no longer an acquaintance, he was…she supposed they were teammates now, she couldn’t act on her feelings when there was a potential that it would all blow up in her face and make things awkward for not only them, but the rest of the team as well.

Unbeknownst to her, Steve appeared to be in a similar situation. “You are such an idiot,” he berated himself as he walked away. He wasn’t sure when things changed. All he knew was that Daisy had the ability to make him feel more on guard than even Natasha could. He’d sparred with her, trained with her. His body had been pressed up against hers in order to show her the correct movements of various moves. He’d known that she was fit, but…he hadn’t been prepared to see it. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Having long since given up on the movie, Daisy’s attention shifted from one person to another. It had been a rare day for rest and relaxation and she wasn’t going to complain. Though they would have to do something about the choice of movie. She wasn’t a huge fan of the main actor. She’d never enjoyed any of his movies and couldn’t understand why so many people did. She began to grow bored and attempted to figure out another form of amusement. When the familiar jingle of her phon, Daisy stood up from the couch she’d occupied and stepped away from the group gathered in front of the television screen. 

Sam pulled his attention from the screen and looked to his former couch companion. “Everything okay?”

Reading the name on the screen, she smiled softly. “Yeah, it’s Coulson.” Making her way towards the porch so as not to interrupt the others from the movie, she connected the call. “Hey, AC.”  
“Am I ever going to get my agent and hacker back?” Coulson immediately responded. 

From his position in the corner of the room, Steve discovered that Daisy was in his line of sight and his attention fell to her instead of the movie. In the months that she’d joined them, she’d cultivated her friendships with all of them. Since she, Wanda and Sam were the newest members of the team, they tended to gravitate towards one another and she was especially close with Wanda. While he realized that there were clearly things about her past that he and the others would never be able to fully touch base on because they hadn’t been there when she experienced it, it always felt like she was holding something back. He knew some things on a general level, however, he found himself wanting to know more about her and the things that shaped her into the woman she’d become and she wasn’t forthcoming, at least not with him. However, given her close friendship with Wanda, he could assume the young woman had become a source of confidence for the inhuman. He watched as she smiled into the phone as she spoke to Coulson and he frowned slightly. Unfortunately, he was finding that Daisy occupied his thoughts a good deal during his waking hours. At first, his main concern had been helping her settle in, but his reasoning since had started to change. He also had to admit that since encountering her the other morning, her bra was also in his thoughts…which led him to feeling as if he had personally tainted something in their innocent friendship for even thinking on such a thing.

Hearing a throat clearing, Steve forced his attention away from the brunette and turned to the source of the sound. He found Wanda watching him with a single arched eyebrow. He met her gaze evenly, refusing to let her stare unsettle him. When she looked away, he realized that he needed to be careful before the others picked up on his fascination, specifically Natasha. Forcing his gaze away from Daisy’s general direction, he attempted to watch the movie, but he could still pick up on her side of the conversation. 

Outside, Daisy settled onto a bench. “Everyone wants me for my hacking skills or my powers,” she sighed dramatically. “They never want me for me,” she tacked on. After a beat, she continued speaking, in a more serious tone. “How are things?” 

“Things are fine,” he replied. “We miss you around here, I miss you.” Things hadn’t been the same since her departure. When he’d said that May was his right-hand man he didn’t realize that somewhere along the way that Daisy had become his left-hand man. He felt her absence strongly.

The confession brought her to a pause. Her eyes began to burn with unshed tears and she cleared her throat. “I miss you too, AC,” she replied gently. “I…you know I didn’t leave because of you, any of you.”

“I know,” he hurried to reassure her. “I know what it’s like to need some time away.” He’d felt that way plenty of times in the past. Unfortunately, as Director of SHIELD, he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to get away. “And as much as you needed to get away, I’m glad you aren’t alone.” If she wasn’t with them, she was with the next best thing. “Tell me, how are you adjusting to things?”

“It’s not too different from being at the base.” There may not have been cases, but the training was the same. “There’s a gym and we eat communally, with everyone pitching in to help, but it can feel crowded here every so often. Oh, and I’ve kept up with sparring and training, learning quite few new moves from Natasha and Steve. I’ve even continued Tai Chi.” Not that she’d always joined May, but she hoped her former SO would be pleased with her continued progress, sometimes Natasha even joined her during Tai Chi. Her experience with SHIELD and training with May meant that she hadn’t been quite as raw as Wanda had been when it came to close combat when she’d first joined up. “It is nice that I came in when I did.” He knew about Sam and Wanda from previous conversations he’d had with the Avengers, but she went on to explain her growing friendship with Wanda. “From what I understand Steve usually spends a good amount of time in Wakanda with Bucky, but he hasn’t been back since I’ve been here, which I thought was odd considering that I could hold my own when I came in. Thor is understandably on Asgard, and Bruce is still been MIA. They’re all worried about him, but Natasha more so than the others.”

“He’s been gone since Sokovia?” Coulson asked for clarification.

“Yeah. I’m starting to think that something must have happened between him and at least one member of the team, but if anyone knows, they aren’t talking.”

“It sounds like you’re fitting in well enough.” The selfish part of him had hoped that she would have gotten on with the Avengers like oil and water and would have made her way back to him, them. However, he couldn’t begrudge her happiness. 

Tilting her head, Daisy frowned into the phone. “You sure everything’s okay? You sound...” She trailed off. She wouldn’t say he seemed unsure, but maybe hesitant?

“Radcliffe-”

Before he could continue, Daisy sat up from her comfortable position and swiftly jumped in. “Radcliffe?” They were dealing with him? “Coulson, I know that Hive was an opposing figure, but Radcliffe was…is…you can’t trust him,” she warned. 

“I don’t,” he quickly reassured her. “He has created a robot, Aida, and she’s…I have to admit she is remarkable.” Despite the help she’d given them this far, he’d been disappointed that Fitz had hidden her existence from the rest of the team and that alone left him cautious about the doctor and his AI.

Daisy arched her eyebrows. Aida? She assumed that was the robot Coulson spoke of. “I’m sensing a ‘but.’ Why am I sensing a ‘but?’” 

He sighed heavily. “You know what Ultron did.”

She’d heard all about Ultron from Wanda, Steve and Vision. “You think it’s like that?”

“Maybe not exactly,” he denied. “But I think it would be naïve if I ignored the potential trouble she poses. This could be nothing.”

“Or it could be something,” she countered, sensing that was where he was heading. 

“Yes.” He paused then. “If we need help-”

“Just call me and I will be there as soon as I can,” she broke in before he could finish his question. The pair said their goodbyes, but Daisy didn’t return to the others. She was very concerned with what she’d learned from Coulson and began stewing in her thoughts. The problem with people like Radcliffe was that they didn’t see anything wrong with their actions so long as it was for the good of science and progress. Whitehall had been the same way. They didn’t see themselves as the bad guy. Then again, given Whitehalls’ spiel about discovery and experimentation, maybe he just didn’t care?

Bringing her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them to hold them in place. Up until that call, she’d never felt guilty for her decision to leave. However, after speaking with Coulson, she couldn’t help but consider all the ‘what if’s.’ If she had been there with them, would things have been different? What if something happened and he did call but she wasn’t quick enough to get there?

“Everything okay?” Steve asked, standing a few feet away from her. He’d tried to mind his own business and ignore her but failed miserably. When she didn’t immediately return to the movie after her conversation, his concern grew and he joined her outside.

Daisy looked up at him. “Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?” He repeated.

She did her best to shrug her shoulders in her current position. “Yeah, Coulson was…there could be a potential situation down the line and wanted to know if I would be willing to help him out.”

“Are you okay?” He asked, wondering if she would ever really open up to him.

“Fine,” she said quickly. “Our conversation brought up some old feelings is all.” Honestly, she didn’t really want to think about it. She’d done her best not to think of her actions while under Hive’s sway. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“No, not really,” she admitted with a small smile as she looked away from him. 

He took a moment to study her profile. He didn’t believe that she was ‘fine,’ however, he didn’t want to push her. “If you change your mind, you know I’m here for you, or well, we all are.”  
“I know.” And though she didn’t think she’d take him up on the offer, she appreciated the sentiment all the same. 

“Do you want some company?” He asked after a moment, gesturing to the empty spot next to her. 

“Sure.”

He claimed the seat next to her and the pair slipped into a short companionable silence. 

“Nat and I were talking and we think it’s time for everyone to go their own ways, at least for a little while,” Steve mentioned, garnering her attention. 

Daisy frowned and her head whipped around to look at him. She supposed it was just as well since Coulson seemed like he needed the extra help, but it didn’t stop the flash of disappointment she felt. “Oh. You guys don’t want me anymore…” She didn’t know why she was upset. She’d been let down plenty of times in the past. No one ever did want her…until Coulson took her for a ride in Lola. She tried not to think about her past, but every so often, disparaging thoughts would leak through her filter and she was forced to confront the less than pleasant emotions. Then again, it was perfect timing if she was to return to Coulson and help him with Radcliffe...

“No, I want you,” he denied quickly. Once his words registered he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “I mean we want you. It’s just…you all have done well with training so it isn’t as if you need us guiding your every move.” Not to mention that because of their fugitive status that things were pretty much at a standstill. Of the group assembled at the Avenger’s facility, Natasha was the only one in good graces with Stark. Daisy probably would have fallen in the same category, but she hadn’t made any mention of leaving the facility.

“Yeah...” He had a point. She supposed that Wanda would take the chance to go out on her own and meet up with Vision as soon as she could. Her friend had confessed her growing feelings   
for him and had been eager to see him in the months that passed. She assumed that it would be easy enough for Wanda to disappear with Vision once the pair were reunited.

“Nat has decided to go home and Sam needs to return to DC and take care of a few things.” 

“And you?” 

“I thought I would return to Wakanda and see Bucky. I haven’t been there in months.”

She pursed her lips. In the time she’d spent with Steve, she’d heard plenty of stories about Bucky and knew how close they’d been once upon a time. “You know, you could have left to see him sooner.” She wondered why he wouldn’t look in her direction.

Steve focused on the empty space before him. “I know, but you were here,” he admitted. 

He never left because of her? Guilt swelled inside of her before indignation took over. How dare he blame his decision on her?! “Steve, I never asked you to stay. If you wanted to see him, you should have.”

Detecting the anger in her voice, he finally gave her his full attention. “I wanted to be here,” he informed quietly.

And with those words, her body uncoiled and any fight she had in her immediately flittered away. “Oh.” She licked her lips and looked away from him. He wanted to be there?! He wanted to be there because she’d been there?! She had moved on, and she’d done such a good job of burying her feelings for him. Why did he have to say something like that? No, don’t let the words affect you, she coached herself. 

Steve cleared his throat. “I…there’s plenty of room in the jet if you’d like to join me…” He trailed off with uncertainty.

She looked back towards him, unable to hide the expression of shock on her face. “You’re inviting me to go with you?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Why not?” Despite overhearing her earlier confession of missing Coulson, he knew she wasn’t exactly anxious to go back to the base. On top of that, he really wanted to introduce her to Bucky. “I think you and Buck would really hit it off.” Also, he was sure his friend would be thankful to have someone new to speak to. Plus, she was a lot prettier to look at than he was.

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~

“So, I’m going to meet a king…” Daisy trailed off. They were minutes away from landing. The closer they were to arriving the more knots twisted in her stomach. After all the things she’d seen and the people she’d met, there were still moments of amazement. 

He wasn’t sure what it was that made her accept his invitation, but he wouldn’t complain. After making travel plans, packing and closing up the house they’d been residing in, they parted from the others with him purposely ignoring the look Wanda sent their way. Piloting the jet, Steve bit his bottom lip to curb his amusement. “Did you not believe me when I spoke of him?”

She shook her head in negative. “It’s not that, it’s just…hearing about him is one thing and meeting him is another.” She wasn’t sure what to expect but she was feeling all sorts of unnerved. Looking out the window, she watched as they flew through a cloak of sorts revealing the country that was hidden from the rest of the world. “Wow,” she breathed, looking at the tall buildings. “This is so totally cool.”

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. “It is, isn’t it?”

Pushing her hair behind her ears, she nodded. “I know you mentioned the uh…vibranium and the properties that allowed such a place to be built, but…wow,” she echoed her earlier sentiments. Gently dropping down, Steve landed the jet with practiced ease, which she supposed was easy enough given the amount of times he’d been to Wakanda to see Bucky. 

“You should see some of the tech they have available. It makes Tony’s lab seem like child’s play.” The only reason he’d seen it was because of Bucky. Since his friend had greatly improved, he doubted they’d be making their way down to Shuri’s lab, but maybe someday…

She’d seen Tony’s lab and it was none too shabby. “Fitzsimmons would probably be jealous.”

“Probably,” he allowed.

“And you’re sure that Bucky won’t mind me tagging along?” Given everything she’d heard about his recovery, she would have hated it if her presence upset him. Though their situations weren’t exactly the same, she knew what it was like to be under someone else’s control. And while her experience with Hive compared to everything Bucky had endured was like a blip in time, it had taken time for her to heal from that, in fact, she was still healing. She’d grown up watching cartoons about Steve and Bucky as well as the rest of the Howling Commandos. As nervous as she was about being introduced to the king of a country, she was even more so when it came to the thought of meeting Bucky. It had nothing to do with his past as the Winter Soldier so much as it was that he was Steve’s best friend. She couldn’t reason exactly why she cared so much, but she did. She hoped that he liked her and that they would at the very least, get along.

“He’ll probably be glad for the extra company,” he replied. “He doesn’t feel comfortable with the idea of rejoining the general public, but he’s also feeling very isolated.” Standing up, he made his way towards the area where he’d stored their luggage. “You ready?” 

Following him, she nodded. When she reached her hand out for him to pass on her bag, he shook his head. 

“I’ve got it. “

“Thank you.” She trailed behind him as he made his way towards the exit. “Uh, Steve?”

He turned around to face her. 

She fidgeted with his hands for a moment. “Do I need to…you know...like, bow when I meet T’Challa?” The question had been on her mind for the last hour or so, but she’d been afraid to ask for fear of sounding ridiculous. 

For a brief second, his lips twitched but when he noticed the sincerity on her face, he smoothed his own facial features. “I suppose you could, but you would look pretty silly.” He supposed that he’d never gone through that phase when he met the Black Panther. They spoke cordially once and then they’d fought several times. By the time they’d found peace between them, any chance of awkwardness had faded away. “He’s royalty, yes. But he doesn’t really do formal, unless it’s under special circumstances.”

Daisy followed him down the ramp of the jet. T’Challa and his guards stood awaiting their arrival. Bucky was easy to make out seeing as he was the only white man that stood in the vicinity. Straightening up, she plastered a smile on her face. 

“Daisy, this T’Challa, his sister, Shuri. And this is Okoye, she’s the head guard here.” 

Daisy held her hand out for each of them and nodded at those that T’Challa introduced once Steve was finished introducing the initial three.

“And this, is Bucky,” Steve said, clapping his friend on his shoulder when T’Challa quieted back down. 

Daisy inclined her head towards him. His metal arm reminded her of the one that adorned Mike Peterson’s body, only it was a much better model. Having already witnessed such a thing, it didn’t throw her through a loop it had when she spotted Mike for the first time after his adjustments. His hair was long and he appeared completely relaxed. She held her hand out for him, but when he grasped her hand and leaned over to place a kiss on the back of it, she couldn’t fight the blush. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had done that.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Daisy. I’ve heard quite a bit about you. If I’d known you were coming, I would have shaved.”

She giggled. “All good, I hope.”

Cutting a quick glance at Steve, he returned his attention to her. “Very good,” he assured her.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer(s): I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel. Also, I did get a bit of information from marvelcinematicuniverse when I go into the Faustus Method and a bit more about Hive's past.

Chapter 3  
“Tell me he didn’t,” Daisy said, laughing all the while. She’d been in Wakanda for three days and it was just what she needed. Steve had eagerly introduced her to Bucky and things had gone better than she’d hoped. He was the same charming man she’d read about. A good majority of her time was spent with the childhood friends and while she’d enjoyed getting to know Bucky and hearing more stories about Steve, she felt guilty for intruding on their time together.

Bucky waggled his eyebrows at her. “Oh, he did.” The pair broke into another fit of laughter.

Steve looked from Bucky towards Daisy and then back at his friend. He didn’t find the same amusement that they did, seeing as the story had been about one of his more embarrassing moments; but it was good to see Bucky laughing again. It was an occurrence that hadn’t happened often, and it was the only reason why he hadn’t protested during the story telling. He shook his head, unable to believe that his friend would share that story.

When the conversation fell into a lull, Daisy looked between her companions. “Well, I think I’m going to take Shuri up on her offer to give me a tour.” Upon meeting Bucky, she’d been introduced to T’Challa’s very vibrant younger sister. She’d taken an immediate shining to the younger woman’s congenial behavior. She’d also realized that Shuri was one of the most intelligent people she’d ever met and probably able to give Fitz and Jemma a run for their money in that department. Daisy found herself feeling thankful for having spent so much time with Fitzsimmons, having listened and learned plenty of jargon that she could more easily understand the intelligent young woman. 

His smile dimmed as he listened to her excuse. “You don’t have to do that,” Bucky said. He’d honestly enjoyed getting to know someone new, and it didn’t hurt that she was a fairly attractive woman. 

Across from his best friend, Steve noticed Daisy’s slight hesitation and spoke up. “Bucky’s right, you’re more than welcome to stay.”

Giving the pair a sincere smile, she shook her head in negative. “I know, but you two deserve to have some time to yourselves,” she replied and stood up. Steve returned for Bucky, and she didn’t want to take up all of his time. “We can catch up later.” 

Knowing that there’d be no arguing against her, Steve nodded. “If you’re sure.”

“I am. Besides, without Wanda and Natasha, I’m feeling the need for some girl time.” 

As Daisy parted from the pair under the pretense of letting them spend time alone together, James Buchanon Barnes watched her leave with a twinkle in eyes. “You’ve got one special dame there.”

Following his line of sight, Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “She isn’t my girl,” he muttered. While Wanda had picked up on his growing feelings for Daisy, he wondered if it was her ability that told her or if she’d picked up various signals. Other than her, the rest of his team hadn’t seen anything, or if they had, they were keeping quiet about it. Then again, if Natasha knew, he doubted he’d get a break from her badgering…so it was safe to assume that no one else realized anything.

Bucky’s eyes immediately turned back to his friend. “Maybe not officially,” he allowed. “But there’s a spark of something between you two. It’s obvious.” Or at least he could see it…and there may have been something mentioned about it from Okoye. Aside from the visual ques of his friend, he knew Steve better than anyone. They may be men out of time, but Steve was still the same person he’d always been and his friend was interested in the brunette.

Steve opened his mouth to retort, but when no words followed the action, he closed it. Was Bucky right? Was there truly something there? He knew his feelings, but he couldn’t speak for Daisy. The last few days that they’d been on their own and away from their team, he’d let his guard down. He thought they had shared a few moments, but then he found himself wondering if he was reading too much into things. “So, you approve of her then…” 

Bucky arched an eyebrow at him. “Do you need me to?” 

“I suppose not,” he allowed before continuing. “But it would be easier if you did,” Steve admitted sheepishly. Bucky was his best and oldest friend and one of the most important people in his life. And in the time that she’d been with him, the Avengers, Daisy had quickly settled into a significant role as well. Though nothing had been declared between himself and the brunette, he was hoping for a favoring outcome. And if that outcome were to pass, he wanted to make sure that Bucky had no reservations about her. 

“Then, you have my approval.” When Steve told him that he’d be bringing company with him on his next trip, he’d assumed that his friend meant Sam. He’d been pleasantly surprised by the pretty brunette. Not only had Daisy not treated him with negativity because of his past as the Winter Soldier, but she hadn’t even batted an eye when she saw his metal arm. Instead, she smiled warmly and cordially shook his hand upon their introduction. She’d won him over because of those two things alone. Though he couldn’t claim to ‘know’ her, he liked what he’d learned of her through their various conversations.

Growing up, Steve had always been the scrawny kid. When it came women, he’d always been the one to get them while Steve watched, sometimes enviously. After Steve went through his transformation, their roles had swiftly reversed. All the women had flocked to Steve and Bucky had been all too ready to let his best friend have his turn. It wasn’t until Steve and Peggy Carter grew closer that he’d felt envious of his friend. Despite the fact that he was a bit of a ladies’ man, none of those women ever amounted to anything significant. It wasn’t so much that he’d been attracted to Peggy as he was envious of the intimacy in his friend’s growing relationship with the English woman. There had been something there, something that he hadn’t experienced himself when it came to his own relationships. Witnessing the interactions between his friend and Daisy, he realized it was a similar situation. 

“You haven’t made a move yet?” Bucky asked.

Steve’s eyes flittered off in the distance where he noticed Daisy talking with Shuri and Okoye, laughing at something. He frowned and turned back to his friend. “Of course not,” he denied.   
Bucky just shook his head in disappointment. “Why not?”

Steve considered his evolving relationship with the brunette. “The first few times I met her, she was…enthusiastic,” he shared, stumbling over the last word. 

“Fan of yours, huh?” Bucky chuckled. “Bet that went over well…”

The former superhero shrugged. Bucky knew just how he felt when it came to women falling over themselves for him and how uncomfortable it made him. “And then there’s her boss.”

Had things changed since he’d last been out with a woman? “Her boss has a say in who she dates?” Bucky couldn’t deny his confusion. 

“No,” Steve shook his head. “Her boss is more like family, I would say he was a father-like figure, but that doesn’t quite do their relationship justice,” Steve explained. “I made the decision not to do anything out of respect for him.” From the corner of his eye he noticed Bucky open his mouth to say something, more than likely getting ready to berate him so he spoke up again. “Besides, I think I’ve missed my window,” he admitted. 

“What makes you say that?” He’d made sure to keep a keen eye on the pair whenever they were around him. Bucky was easily able to discern Steve’s feelings, and though he couldn’t say the same about Daisy with any certainty; he wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that she felt the same way. 

“She doesn’t look at me like she used to.” He knew it made no sense. Three years prior, he had no desire to entertain her preoccupation with him. And lately? Lately, he’d been spending too much time reading into every interaction they shared, looking for a niggling of anything on her end. 

“And how’s that?” 

“Like I hung the stars and the moon in the night sky.” 

Letting out a whistle between his teeth, Bucky shook his head. “She’s got you all sorts of twisted up.” He’d never seen Steve like that, ever. “I don’t remember you being like that with Peggy.”

“That’s because I wasn’t.” It was easy to know where someone stood with Peggy. She had such a no-nonsense attitude. If she liked someone in whatever capacity, they knew it. And if she disliked them, they knew that too. However, Daisy was always personable and friendly. He could never quite tell where he stood with her.

“You…” The former assassin trailed off. “I don’t remember.”

Steve turned to his friend with a look of hesitance on his face. “You don’t remember what you were going to say?”

Bucky shook his head. “No, I…I don’t remember. I had a point I was going to make, but then there’s nothing. It’s just this empty space in my head,” he confessed.

Steve’s hesitance grew into alarm and he knew that he would be speaking with Shuri and T’Challa before the end of the trip.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“You okay?” Daisy asked as she approached Steve, coming to a stop behind him. She’d just finished her tour with Shuri when she returned to the guest quarters. When she’d noticed Steve standing off to the side of the room when she entered it, she knew he was brooding about something. His arms were crossed as he stared out the massive window, but he was obviously lost in his thoughts. 

Steve shook his head in negative. “No,” he replied quietly. “Bucky’s missing memories.”

Daisy winced when she thought back to her team’s interaction with Hydra and the things they’d learned. “You’re sure?”  
The former superhero turned around to face her and nodded. “Once he told me, I started talking about different stories that he should know. A few times, he had no recollection of anything tied to them.”

She remembered Jemma once telling her about a conversation she’d had with Kara Palamas. 

“You don’t look surprised,” Steve observed after watching her reaction.

“Bobbi and Jemma have both had their dealing with Hydra and learned a few things while they were undercover,” she started. “The most current form of mental reprogramming that Hydra used was called the Faustus Method. I assume that Bucky underwent that version or something very similar when it came brainwashing him. From what I understand, after undergoing the process excessively it’s not uncommon for memories to be altered or erased completely,” she shared quietly. 

A deep frown pulled at his lips. “Are you sure?”

“Not completely,” she admitted. “However, Jemma learned a few things when she went undercover in Hydra. Steve, he may always have memory gaps.”

“And there’s no way to change it?”

“Not as far as I know, but…with all of this,” she gestured around the general area, “available to you, they might be able to come up with something.”

“It isn’t fair, the memories that he should have are gone and he’s forced to remember the things he shouldn’t.” His hands were fisted at his sides and without another word to her, he stalked off. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes into her search for Steve, Daisy came upon Bucky in a smallish library and cleared her throat to gather his attention. When he looked up at her, she offered him an apologetic smile for interrupting him from his reading. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m trying to find Steve.”

“I saw him leave with T’Challa an hour or so ago,” he replied. “And seeing as I wasn’t invited, it leads me to believe that I’m their topic of discussion.”

She tilted her head with a sad smile. There’d been many a time when she had still been with her team when she would walk into a room and it would go completely silent leading her to believe that they’d been discussing her or something pertaining to her. It sucked. “Oh, well, then I will leave you alone.”

“You really don’t have to,” he quickly denied. “I would appreciate the company,” Bucky admitted quietly. He was tired of reading, he’d read more in the last couple months than he ever had in his entire life. “If you have time.”

She quietly claimed a seat in the overly large chair next to his, watching as he closed the book he’d been reading. “Big reader?”

“I am now,” he admitted. Then again, it was probably because he’d had nothing better to do with his time. “I wasn’t always. Before…” he trailed off trying to find a way to start. “Before…everything happened, before the war, there was a sport to play or a dame to entertain.”

Daisy nodded, smirking at him. “I forgot, Steve mentioned that you were a bit of a ladies’ man,” she said, thinking back to the way he’d introduced himself to her.

Bucky looked down at the metal arm attached to his body. According to Shuri, it wasn’t quite finished, but she wanted him to get used to wearing it, as it had an entirely different feel than the one that Hydra supplied him. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, given how I look now, but I guess I was,” he admitted sadly. With the vestiges Hydra’s mind fuck gone, he’d taken to self-deprecating comments. He’d been working on it, but they still came out every once in a while. 

Daisy couldn’t hide her wince. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject for you,” she instantly denied, feeling guilty that she’d managed to ruin whatever calm had previously settled over him.

“You didn’t, it’s just the way things are,” he attempted to shrug off. 

Despite his words, Daisy still felt regret for even mentioning it in the first place. “So, what makes you think that you’re the topic of discussion?” She inquired, hoping that the subject change would work better.

“Steve’s been trying to get me to talk about things and I won’t give him anything.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his unruly hair. “The punk’s been there for me since we first became friends and I love him like a brother, but…” He paused, unable to come up with the correct wording that would get his point across. And if Steve couldn’t get answers from him, he’d check with T’Challa and Shuri.

“He’s a good person, almost feels like he’s too good, pure?” Daisy inserted when he couldn’t seem to find the right words. She watched a look of comprehension take over his face and she continued on. “Despite knowing that he’s seen a lot of bad things over the years and you know he wouldn’t judge you for anything; you still can’t bring yourself to share things because you feel like you’d be tainting him in some way,” she finished sadly. 

He nodded slowly along with her assessment. “How’d you-”

“I’ve had my own issues in the past,” she admitted before he could finish his question. It was how she felt when it came to Steve. She could tell him some things, but she didn’t feel comfortable sharing everything. She searched his gaze for a short time. He seemed defeated and weary and it was all she could do not to squeeze his hand in sympathy. She decided then to share her story. Maybe if he saw that other people had similar experiences, it could help him to better process things? “I don’t know what Steve’s told you about me…”

“I know you have powers, but I never asked Steve how that came to be.” There had been a phone call or two which she had been mentioned in. Steve had given him the basics, but never went into further detail. And he hadn’t thought it was proper to ask since he didn’t really know Daisy and if the situation was reversed, he’d hate it if someone asked personal questions about him. “Other than that, I only know what I’ve learned through talking with you.”

“I’m what’s called an ‘inhuman.’ I was born with alien DNA that usually remains dormant but was activated when I went through a process called teregenesis.”

He played the word over in his head before wondering why she’d want to do something like that.

As if reading his mind, she sighed. “It really was a case of being in the wrong place at the really wrong time,” Daisy volunteered. “Last year, my team dealt with a situation and a couple of my team members found themselves on another planet. When they returned, they were unaware that a being had followed them back.”

“That sounds like a bad science fiction movie.” When she pierced him with an inquiring look he shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been catching up with things since I’ve had so much down time.”

She nodded before returning to her story. “Fun fact, Hydra was founded in ancient times and was initially a cult that worshipped an inhuman called Hive, who’d previously been banished by other inhumans to another planet.”

“I had no idea.”

“You learn something new every day,” she said quoting the saying that she’d heard periodically through her life. “Hive was the being that followed my team members back to earth. He was able to infest and possess the bodies of dead humans,” Daisy explained. “He’d taken the body of a former love interest of mine. He was also able to control other inhumans, by forming a ‘hive’ like mind, hence the name.”

He nearly hissed upon hearing Hive’s ability to control other people. “You fell under his control.” 

She nodded. “I did,” she admitted quietly. She thought back on the time with a massive frown. “I killed someone and tried to place the blame on my then boyfriend.” She hesitated when she noticed Bucky stiffen. “I fought my own team, threatened to kill them multiple times. I used my powers to cause the ceiling of their base to fall down as a warning.” She’d been so lucky no one died because of her actions. “And then I actively participated in Hive’s plan for world domination.” 

“How did you get out from under his sway?”

“A friend of mine, another Inhuman, managed to break the link between us. The first time I encountered Hive afterwards, I was in so much pain, it was like something had been ripped from me and I felt empty. I asked him to reinstate it, but he wasn’t able to. And I…I was so angry by that point. Of course, by then Hive’s plan was well underway to being executed and the only thing to do was to get rid of him and his virus to keep from infecting the rest of the world. We planned to send him to outer space, of course someone would have to go to make sure that Hive was unable to return and I was ready to be that person.” 

“You wanted to die?”

She took a moment to consider his question. Other than Lincoln, no one knew that she’d asked for the connection to Hive back. The idea of knowing that she’d been weak enough to even ask made her feel even worse. Daisy nodded once, never actually having admitted it to herself. “I guess I did,” she conceded. “I knew I’d messed up horribly and I wanted to fix the mistakes I made, but I…at that point, I was in so much pain and emotionally exhausted. I just wanted it to end.” She looked at her companion, seeing nothing but compassion and understanding in his gaze. “In the end, my boyfriend used his ability against me and took my place in the jet we were sending to space. Lincoln died before I could even tell him I loved him,” she finished with tears swimming in her eyes. 

When she stopped talking, he awkwardly placed a hand over hers in effort to offer her some sort of comfort. 

As soon as she felt his hand touch hers she cleared her throat and cut off her tears. “It’s never really gone away,” she admitted. “The pain and guilt of it all, it’s still there under everything. I couldn’t handle being at the base, between seeing the hesitation when my team members looked at me, or their pity. I had to get away. When I was given the opportunity to join Steve and Natasha, I jumped at it.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” he sighed, speaking of the lingering guilt she claimed to experience. 

Daisy pulled her hand out from under his before patting it a couple times and removing it from his person. “If you’d prefer, I could lie to you, but it wouldn’t help you in the long run. Unfortunately, you’re going to have a long road ahead of you. Compared to you, my time under Hive’s sway seems so miniscule. Even if it’s not Steve, you should really find someone to talk to,” she advised. “When you’re ready,” she tacked on. “And just remember, more people are willing to be there for you than you realize.” She hoped that when he made the decision, that he didn’t pull away from anyone the way she’d done. When he tilted his head in question, she shrugged bashfully. “I ran away from my friends, family. After the guilt I felt…the last thing I wanted to do was talk about it with the people that I purposely harmed. It wasn’t until after I left that I realized I could have turned to them. I would hate to see you do the same thing I did.”

“What do you care?” His voice held no malice only confusion. “You hardly know me.”

“Maybe, but Steve went to bat for you against one of his own, well, several, teammates,” she told him softly. “He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t think you were worth it, and I’ll go along with his way of thinking in this instance. Besides, how many people can say they have survived what we did?”

“That emptiness ever go away?” He asked after pregnant pause.

“Not yet.” Then again, she’d always felt like something was missing. She supposed it was because she’d been an orphan. The brief time that emotion went away was when she’d gotten to see her parents and be a part of their lives. And then they were gone again, and the feeling returned. “Having said that, I’ve struggled with that feeling for as long as I can remember, so… it’s probably not because of the situation, it only magnified it.” She unnecessarily cleared her throat again. 

Thinking back to the words she’d said when she spoke about Steve, he couldn’t help but wonder if she felt that way in a more than platonic manner, as though she didn’t think she was good enough. Though he wouldn’t dare put words to his silent musing. “I’m tired of reading, would you like to head down to the gym with me?” 

Appreciative for his offer, Daisy offered him a friendly smile. “I’ll need to change. Uh, since I haven’t the gym since I’ve been here, should I meet you back here in say…ten minutes?”

“Sounds good,” he affirmed.

“I assume you’re just as…enhanced as Steve?”

He arched his eyebrows and an amused smile played at his lips. 

“I’m just trying to prepare myself,” she explained when she noticed his amusement. “Sparring against Steve is different than sparring against Sam, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, doll. I’ll take it easy on you.”

She frowned at the dismissive tone of his voice. Though she knew the term ‘doll’ was used back in the 40’s, she wasn’t used to the moniker and she didn’t even know if she liked it. “I didn’t ask you to take it easy on me.” She didn’t appreciate his offer, nor did she want to spar if he wasn’t going to put some effort into it. “Tell me, do you talk down to all women, or is it just me?”

He hadn’t realized that his words would be taken in such a way, but he was amused by her reaction. He held his hands up in surrender. “Woah, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress. I’ve been there, done that. It got old real quick.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t take care of yourself,” he denied. Having said that, he was aware of how much stronger he was than most people, men included. “But you said it yourself, sparring against Steve is different than sparring against someone that isn’t enhanced.” Despite what she believed, he knew that Steve still held himself back when he sparred against most people, her included. When she still didn’t appear appeased, he tried again. “I promise not to hold too much back, but you have to respect that it’s something I tend to do naturally when it comes to sparring against anyone that isn’t protected by a vibranium suit or Steve.” 

Daisy nodded once at him before she made her way out of the room. 

Watching her leave, Bucky could only shake his head. Steve was going to have his hands full with that one.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don’t own any characters to marvel. Also, the quote that Daisy says to Jemma about her and Fitz is not mine. Just clarify which one, I added the character © behind it.

Chapter 4

“Bet you didn’t like that,” Sam said after Daisy repeated Bucky’s call to take it easy on her.

Putting her drink down, Daisy giggled. “You should have seen him, Sam. The look on his face when he went flying through the air after I used my powers to send him flying through the air…” Just envisioning the moment left her with a feeling of merriment. “Take it easy on me, I showed him,” she muttered. “He didn’t take it very easy on me after that.”

Steve could only shake his head with a smile on his face. When he’d discovered the pair were sparring, he’d immediately made his way to the show. For the most part, Daisy had managed to hold her own against Bucky. His friend had held back a bit, but not very much, he’d assumed by that point Bucky had already experienced the sensation of crashing into the padded wall of the gym. 

“Glad to hear he’s doing better,” Sam said after listening to Steve relay Bucky’s progress and Daisy’s story. They’d been back in the states for just under a week, and Sam joined them for dinner once the travelers managed to overcome their jetlag. 

Daisy was pulled from the conversation when her phone rang and quickly answered it.

“Daisy?”

As soon as she heard the voice on the other end of the phone Daisy frowned. The voice was quivering and unsure and she immediately went on the defensive. “Jemma?” She asked. Jemma wasn’t usually one to get emotional when it came to situations. However, there was no denying the tremor in the scientist’s voice and her uneven breathing. “What’s wrong?” She barely cast a glance at her companions before stepping away from the table; not wanting to interrupt their conversation, unaware that their attention fell to her.

“Coulson said to call you if anything-”

The inhuman interrupted her friend. “Jemma, what happened?” 

“They’re all robots,” Jemma said. 

Daisy nearly blanched upon hearing that. She hadn’t been expecting that response. Had she misheard Jemma? Robots? “Can you say that again?” 

“They’re robots.”

“What? Who?” If she hadn’t garnered their attention before, she knew her last question would have. She looked towards Sam and Steve, both watching her intently. “Where’s Coulson?”

“He’s one of them,” Jemma quickly replied. “Coulson, May, Fitz…anyone who was in the playground is either a robot or dead.”

To say that her heart dropped into her stomach would be putting it lightly. Dead? Did that mean that Coulson and the rest were dead? How had something like that even happened? “Where are Coulson and the others?”

“They’re in a computer simulated world,” Jemma whispered.

How in the hell did something like that happen? Daisy closed her eyes in defeat. “Okay, where are you right now?”

“I’m with Piper, Davis and Prince. They’re the only ones that aren’t…right now we’re in the air. We’re trying to stay under Aida’s radar.” 

Aida? As in Radcliffe’s robot? She’d warned Coulson about the man! Why hadn’t he taken her more seriously? At least Jemma wasn’t alone. “Where are you going?”

“At this point, we don’t have anything in mind other than to stay out of her reach.”

Daisy shook her head, that wasn’t a plan, not a real one anyway. She offered Steve an apologetic look as she focused back on the conversation. “Why don’t you guys just come here?” She mouthed ‘sorry’ to the man that formerly wore the Captain America suit, for not asking him first.

“But the shielding…It’s the only thing keeping her from coming after us. I don’t want to bring her to your doorstep,” Jemma argued.

Daisy turned away from the guys to finish the rest of her conversation. “Don’t worry about that. Tony Stark built this place with his technology, there’s plenty of cloaking and security. It’ll be safer here than anywhere else.” She rambled off the coordinates for Jemma to share with Piper and Davis. “Just get here as soon as you can. I’ll be waiting for you and we can come up with a plan then.”

“Okay. We’ll be there.”

Daisy disconnected the call. Closing her eyes, she exercised a breathing technique that Clint taught her two years previously in effort to calm herself down before her mind took her to dangerous places. Opening her eyes, she turned back towards her dinner companions. “I’m sorry for not asking you,” she apologized, focusing on Steve. “But something’s happened and-” She couldn’t let Jemma and the remaining agents wander aimlessly when she had a perfectly safe place for them.

He held up his hand as if to silence her. “It’s not a problem. What’s going on?”

“She didn’t tell me everything, but…” She hesitated for a moment, knowing that she was going to sound bonkers. “And I know this is going to sound insane, the team has been taken and replaced with robots that have taken over the base.”

Sam looked from her towards Steve and then back to Daisy. “How does that work? I mean they’re robots, how could no one have noticed?” The ones that he’d previously encountered looked nothing like a human, let alone able to replace one. 

She could only shake her head in response, unable to answer him. Off hand, he seemed to be correct in his question. How had they gone unknown? She supposed it was easy to ask that when one was on the outside looking in. 

Steve frowned. “This have anything to do with your phone call with Coulson a while back?”

“Yeah, they were…there was this scientist that managed to create a robot. Coulson called her remarkable. And when I say that, I mean the robot. I’m thinking that Radcliffe must have created more.”

Sam spoke up again. “So, if there were robots walking around in place of your team, where are the human team members?” 

“They’re in a computer simulated world.” 

Both men blinked their eyes, stunned by what she’d just said. 

“That is some crazy shit right there,” Sam voiced after a moment. He turned to look at Steve, ready for his friend to call him out on his language, but apparently, he was too stunned to respond.

Though she sat back down at the table, food was the last thing that was on her mind. As if on auto-pilot, she picked up her fork and brought it to her dinner. However, instead of taking another bite, she began pushing the food around with it. How could something like that possibly have happened? Why hadn’t anyone called her sooner, before the situation grew as severe as it had? How did it even start? How could Radcliffe have made so many robots? Given how Coulson spoke of Aida, she would have assumed that something so spectacular would have taken months if not years to build. How had he managed to kidnap and replace Coulson and the others in only a few months? Moments later, a warm hand rested over hers before squeezing it.

“It’s going to be okay, Daisy.”

Recognizing the dark hand attached to her own, she raised her and offered Sam a weak smile. “Thank you for making your special dish, but I’ve lost my appetite. If you guys will excuse me,” she pardoned, before she grabbed her dishes and headed towards the kitchen to wash them up with the intent to return to her room. 

As if on auto-pilot, she washed her dishes, but she didn’t give the plate in her hand a single glance. After placing her dishes in the dishwasher, she closed the appliance and began wiping down the sink and side counters of excess water. The sound of approaching footsteps pulled at her attention. She didn’t even have to turn around to know that Steve followed her. After all the time she spent near him, she was easily able to discern his walk, it also helped having powers that could sense vibrations. She’d quickly learned that humans had their own vibrations compared to inanimate objects. Lately, she’d been working on reading the vibrations of those around her and she was able to tell the difference between the vibrations of those she was closest to. “You know, I keep wondering if this was something that could have been avoided if I’d been there.”

“That’s a bad game to play,” Steve replied coming to a stop next to her. 

“It’s true though,” she denied. “Who’s to say that any of this would have happened if I’d been there able to help?”

“And who’s to say that it wouldn’t?” He countered. “What if you had been there and you’d also been taken and replaced with a robot?” He stopped, waiting for the question to sink in. 

“I’m sorry I put such a damper on things. I know that Sam only made arrangements for a couple days.”

“Don’t apologize,” he denied quickly. “Yes, Sam only has a couple days, but he’s already offered his help should you need it. And of course, I’m here too.”

Smiling, she leaned over and hugged him from his side. Letting out a sigh, she rested her head against his shoulder. “How did I manage to find such good friends?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” he replied in a quiet voice. Friend…good friend, but still a friend. Natasha once mentioned the ‘friend zone’ and warned him how difficult it was to go from that position to a romantic one. At the time, he brushed off her words figuring he wouldn’t find himself in that position…ever. How wrong he’d been. He supposed that it was safe to assume he fell into that zone where Daisy was concerned, and he really didn’t know how to get himself out of it. Not that this was the most opportune time given that more than half of her former teammates had been abducted… But it still ate away at him. 

Looking up at him she noticed an air of sadness about him. “Are you okay?” Was she crowding him? He wasn’t usually a touchy-feely person…

Pushing the less than pleasant thought away, Steve offered her a nod and sincere smile. “I am. I just let my mind get away from me. So, what can I do to help?”

Daisy removed herself from his person. “I don’t know if they’ll be hungry when they get here, but maybe putting a few snacks and waters out would be appreciated.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“She’s so much smarter and stronger now,” Jemma tacked on after explaining Dr. Radcliffe’s role with SHIELD, Aida, the dark hold and Aida’s disregard for anyone against her desire to become human. “I don’t know how we’re going to defeat her. She literally has everything at her finger tips.”

“Not to mention she has the team on a submarine and we don’t know where it is…” Piper tacked on. 

Daisy raised her hand unnecessarily. “I have a bad idea,” she volunteered. “How about we wake the team up? Once they’re conscious, they will be out of the simulation and we’ll have more of a chance to fight her.” Of course, if they were on the submarine with Aida, they’d have a battle on their hands, but it would be a start.

Steve frowned at her, not liking the direction her thoughts were going in. 

“And how do we go about doing that?” Sam asked.

Not missing the ‘we’ that Sam used in his question, Daisy felt a small smile bite at her lips as she silently mused over it. Forcing herself back to the situation at hand, Daisy cleared her throat. “We go inside the simulation.”

“That sounds kind of risky, doesn’t it?” Piper asked looking between Daisy and Jemma.

Still not removing his eyes from Daisy, Steve piped up. “Extremely.”

While she heard the protests, Daisy was too consumed with the memory of being reunited with her friend. The picture of Jemma’s heartbroken and fearful face as she debarked from the jet wouldn’t leave her memory for a long while. 

When the ramp lowered, she made her way towards it, greeting each of the agents as they walked past her. Jemma was the last to debark. As soon as the women met each other’s gazes, they immediately met in the middle, tightly embracing one another. 

“There’s got to be a backdoor to it somewhere that we can sneak in through,” Daisy easily responded. “You know this is the best way to go about this.” Thus far, no one had come up with anything else.

While she knew her friend had a point, she also found herself hesitating. “Daisy, this is…I just…after Lincoln…” She remembered Daisy’s overly eager spirit when it situations after Lincoln’s death. It was like her friend had a death wish and gladly embraced it. She’d been relieved Daisy left when she did, and apparently, being away from the base had done her good. She just needed to double check.

Understanding what her friend was trying to say without actually voicing it, Daisy spoke up in effort to stop her. “This is not a sacrifice play. You know why? Because I will beat them, you hear me? I know it, if for no other reason than this: through all the insane crap we have gone through, the one thing I’ve known without a doubt, the whole time, is that you and Fitz belong together.”©

Whatever reservations she’d had quickly faded. Jemma nodded her head once in agreement as the

“It’s a computer simulated world, what’s the worst that could happen?” Daisy inquired. 

Sam snorted. Didn’t she realized that she probably just jinxed them by asking such a thing? “You could get trapped in it, or possibly die.” If someone were to die in the program, did that mean they could die in real life?

The brunette cut him a dry look, not at all amused by the answers that he’d suggested. Her eyes traveled towards Steve. Though he hadn’t provided an argument, his feelings were easily discerned by the expression on his face. “It’s the only solution we have at this point.” Standing up, she made her way towards the items that Jemma and Piper brought with them, looking for a way that would make her search easier. “I’ll start going through all of this,” she volunteered. “The rest of you should try and get a little bit of rest.” 

From the moment Daisy offered her suggestion, he’d grown very aware of the tension that filled the room, and it wasn’t just the SHIELD agents that exuded it. He’d been quick to check Steve’s reaction and knew his friend was less than pleased with the outcome of the situation. Having worked side by side with him for so long, Sam could easily read Steve, but what he saw then, left him confused. He didn’t understand why Steve appeared to be angry with Daisy. “Right,” Sam chirped up. “I’ll show you guys to the living quarters.”

The Inhuman searched the wary travelers as they stood to follow Sam. When her friend made no move to join the others, Daisy spoke up. “This includes you too, Jemma.” When the bio-scientist made a move to argue, Daisy help up her hand. “You look like crap. I know it seems impossible at the moment, but you need to rest too. Who knows what we’ll be walking into? Sam, can you show her to my room?”

He nodded, watching as her fingers danced across the key board of the computer that Daisy had already moved to. 

Steve waited for the others to leave before speaking up. “Daisy.” He watched her continue to type. “Daisy,” he repeated himself a little louder. When she didn’t respond, he called her once  
again. He watched as she began shaking her head, though she made no other move to show her acknowledgement of his presence. “You can’t ignore me.”

“I’m not ignoring you,” she replied, not removing her eyes from the screen. “But I am not having this conversation with you.”

He pursed his lips. Oh, she sure was! “You can’t do this.” When she turned around to face him with a severe expression on her face and a single raised eyebrow, he knew he’d said the wrong thing. 

Making her final move to find the program, she left it open before addressing Steve. Had she heard him correctly? “Excuse me? I can’t do this?” She parroted, hissing out the words. Standing up, she approached him. “Is that an order, Captain?” 

He nearly winced. “I didn’t…” he trailed off, not wanting to fight with her. “That isn’t what I meant. You just…you have to realize how dangerous this is.”

“Of course, I know how dangerous it is, that’s why I called it a ‘bad idea,’” she reminded him. “But I’m doing this.” She watched him open his mouth to argue and cut him off. “Tell me if the situation was reversed and it was the Avengers stuck in this simulation that you wouldn’t do the same thing. If it was Sam, Bucky or Natasha that was lost, you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t try everything to get them back. You would go to the end of the earth for them.”

“That isn’t the same thing,” he denied instantly. He figured he sounded condescending in that moment, but he didn’t want her going into the unknown without him there to have her back. It had already been decided that Jemma and Daisy would be the ones to go into the program and retrieve the rest of the team while the rest of them would be playing the waiting game.

“How is it not the same?” She demanded, her voice rising. “It’s Coulson and the others,” Daisy said, as if reminding him of who she’d be helping. “Just because I stepped away from SHIELD for the time being, doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t do the same for them.”

He shook his head at her. “Because I can’t help you if you go into this.”

What was it with men ‘taking it easy’ on her or worrying about her safety? “I may not have been with the Avengers since the very beginning like Nat, but I can hold my own,” she was quick to argue. “And, guess what, Steve? I’m a big girl, I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I never said you did,” he argued. “But you just…” He exhaled a frustrated sigh.

“Can’t?” She supplied for him when he trailed off. “There’s that word again.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He asked. “Why can’t you listen to me?” Since giving up the mantle of Captain America, he hadn’t had a reason to pull rank. However, he found himself issuing her orders and he was growing increasingly frustrated by her refusal to listen to him. 

“If you had a concrete reason for me not to go, maybe I would listen,” she shot back. “But so far, you’ve done nothing but give orders.” She’d never seen this side of him before and was confused as to the reason behind it. 

He threw all caution to the wind. “Fine, you want a reason?” He asked, approaching her in a few short steps. “This is why…” Without so much of a warning, he angled his head and quickly pressed a kiss against her lips. 

As soon as Steve claimed her mouth with his, her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to voice her surprise, but he took advantage of it by deepening the kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed and she began to respond to him. 

As soon as she returned the affection, he raised his arms. Wrapping one arm around her waist and the other across her back, he pulled her closer against him. When air became an issue, he pulled his mouth away from hers; however, he refused to let her out of his embrace. 

“You kissed me,” Daisy breathlessly voiced. 

He nodded, wearing a small smile on his face. “Yes.”

That was it? That was all he was going to say? Because that wasn’t reason enough for her. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to,” Steve said. “Because I’ve wanted to for a while, but I didn’t know how to go about letting you know that…” He trailed off, knowing he was going for broke. “I developed feelings for you somewhere along the way and I was too nervous to say anything.”

She felt her face soften upon hearing his revelation. 

He knew he wasn’t the most experienced when it came to women, but he certainly wasn’t a bumbling virgin. Though things had changed since the 1940’s, he thought he’d been obvious enough in his interest. “You really had no idea?” 

“I…” She thought that there’d been moments, but then she’d been afraid that her mind was just playing up innocent actions and conversations. “I never imagined…I mean I had a crush on you for so long. I thought that you were kind of annoyed by it.”

He felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “I was,” he admitted sheepishly. “But that was before I got to know who you really are,” he tacked on quickly.

She nodded sadly. She couldn’t say she was surprised as she’d suspected it, but it still stung to hear the acknowledgement. “So, I decided to ignore it and put it to the back of my mind. It was really easy to do given everything I’ve faced in the last few years.” Daisy licked her lips. “Since I’ve been here, there may have been a few moments that we shared that I ignored because I thought I was reading too much into it.” 

“I’m sorry.” He found himself apologizing, and he couldn’t quite figure out why. Was it for waiting for so long to act on his feelings? Was it because he felt so annoyed by her earlier crush? Maybe if he’d pulled his head out of whatever hole he’d had it hidden in, they could have gotten together earlier on? Or maybe it was combination of all of it?

Unlike him, she couldn’t say the same. Yes, it smarted to realize all of the time wasted, but she couldn’t regret the months between his ignorance and his revelation. She had truly loved Lincoln and what he brought to her life. Until him, she didn’t know what a real relationship was supposed to be like, inhuman and SHIELD stuff aside. She had genuinely mourned for him and knew that she would treasure his memory for the rest of her life. 

Steve leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t see sooner,” he confessed. “It’s just…you were so small in that hospital bed, and I saw you with your team. With Coulson. I…you were so obviously Coulson’s girl, Coulson’s Skye. And I refused to entertain anything from that thought alone.”

He ignored her because of Coulson?! Him and his damn honor! “I’m still the same woman,” she pointed out. She hadn’t changed that much, had she?

He nodded. “I know, but somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing you as Coulson’s girl. You became Daisy, pretty acquaintance and then you became Daisy, the pretty teammate that I spent too much time thinking about.”

Unable to help the smile that crossed her face, she leaned up and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. “Good answer.” 

“Daisy, what Jemma eluded to earlier and your response…Do I need to be worried?” He hated to bring it up at such a moment, but he needed to know. He remembered how she was when she first arrived. And this would be the first time she’d be facing something since joining them.

She placed her hands on his cheek and directly met his gaze. “No.” Letting his face go, she continued on. “It is true that at the time I didn’t care if I lived or died. When Lincoln made his decision, it killed me. I loved him and when he died; I not only had to deal with mourning him, but I had to contend with guilt and the belief of not being worth it.” When it looked as if he was about to argue with her, she forged on before he could say anything. “But getting away and being here with all of you helped me get over that.” She met his gaze, intent on making sure he understood her. “I didn’t make the suggestion for any other reason than to find a way of waking the others.”

“If I didn’t want you to leave before, I really don’t want you to leave now,” he said with a sigh. 

Daisy smiled sadly. “You know I have to go,” she reminded him. 

He grudgingly nodded. She wouldn’t be Daisy if she didn’t offer. “Doesn’t mean that I like it.”

“And I didn’t like all the concerned phone calls from Sharon, but I dealt with it anyway.” When she noticed he arched a single eyebrow in silent question she waved it away. She couldn’t say she was jealous, as she really had had no reason to be. She had no prior claim to Steve, but she also knew that he wasn’t interested in the blonde. However, it had bothered her. As not only a woman, but a woman attracted to Steve, she knew Sharon had also been attracted to him.

An amused smile bit his lips upon hearing her revelation, but he wisely chose not to question her about it. “I know you dealt with situations before coming here, but it’s easy to forget that you haven’t always been with us.” Taking into consideration how long it had been since Coulson first called for their help and the time she’d been with them, it felt much longer than it really was. However, there was a ‘rightness’ there when he considered her presence among his team. “I don’t like knowing that you’re off to face the unknown in order to rescue your team and I  
won’t be there next to you.”

“I’m going to be fine, Steve.” Leaning up, she captured his lips with hers. 

Instead of saying anything, he lost himself to the moment and pulled her closer against him as they continued to trade kisses. He cupped the back of her head and held her mouth against his as she pushed herself even closer to him.

After he finished showing the agents where they could retire for a bit, Sam made his way towards the room he left Daisy and Steve in. “Everyone’s-” his words failed him and momentarily froze in his spot upon seeing the heated kiss between his teammates. Huh…that would explain the anger he’d sensed from Steve earlier. Backing out of the room quietly, he made his way to the lounge area. How had he missed that?

When he’d decided to just kiss her, he’d had no care that they were in an open area where anyone could interrupt them. He’d been more concerned over her reaction. And after the favorable outcome, he’d forgotten himself for a moment. He may not have heard Sam’s approach since he’d been otherwise engaged, but his presence reminded Steve that they weren’t alone in the building. Placing one last kiss on her lips, he pulled away. 

“I really wish you’d kissed me sooner,” she whispered. The timing was absolutely horrible. She was torn between wanting to help Coulson and the others and wanting to lock herself in a room with Steve and not leaving it until she knew her way around every inch of his body. 

“Me too,” he sighed. If he’d known how she would respond to him, he would have made a move sooner. “So, what’s your plan?” 

“According to Piper, everything we’ll need to hook into the system is aboard the quinjet. When Jemma and I go under, it will be up to the rest of you to make sure that we’re taken care of and that nothing bad happens to us in the real world. We’ll rescue the others as quickly as possible, help them deal with Aida and then I’m returning right back to your arms.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don’t own any characters familiar to Marvel

Author’s Note: I do apologize, but I don’t write flighting scenes and that includes sparring scenes as well. I know next to nothing about fighting or anything associated to that, so I did brush over it. Sorry, if you were looking forward to that. It’s something I’ve never been able to write, regardless of the fandom.

Chapter 5

“So…Ward, huh?” Steve asked, grunting as he finished speaking. When he overheard Jemma talking about it with Fitz, his first question was why hadn’t Daisy said something about it? He would have figured something would have been said considering all the hell Ward put her through, human or human puppet. 

Quickly looking away from Aida, Daisy cast him a quick glance. “You want to do this now?” She asked, dodging a shot from Aida. Was he…no he couldn’t be jealous, but she couldn’t get a good read on him. Whatever the tone meant, she knew it would be a long conversation.

Not taking his eyes off his opponent, Sam could only shake his head. Steve really went there? Now? Of all times? Is this what it would be like from now on?

“Why didn’t you mention him?” Steve asked before punching Aida with enough force to send her flying away from them.

“I hardly think this is the time to talk about this,” Daisy replied.

When Steve made a move to argue, he was cut short.

“Hey!” Sam broke in, interrupting the pair when he noticed their opponent get right back up to her feet. “Fight the freakishly powerful robot now, argue later!”

In the end, Steve was needed to help contain Aida. He, Sam and Daisy managed to put good use to all the training they’d done and taken her down as a team. Unfortunately, the Playground sustained quite a bit of damage during the fight against her. Between the SHIELD casualties and those of the from the army, the remaining members fled to safety before the U.S. Government could detain them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they’d be returning to the Avenger’s facility for the night. After a few frozen pizzas, the group dispersed. Daisy helped get everyone situated for the night before returning to her own quarters. She quickly grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom to shower, so she could speak with Steve. 

Ward. Daisy crinkled her nose. How was it that even after being dead for almost a year he still managed to mess things up for her? Despite the situation they’d been facing when he’d confronted her about her former SO, she heard a twinge in his voice. Something about Ward bothered him and she needed to quickly squash whatever it was going on in his head.  
After dressing and brushing her hair, she studied her reflection. A large bruise was already forming on her cheek, courtesy of Aida. She’d taken a few hits from the robot; but with the help of Steve and Sam, the three managed to finally take her down where the US Government failed. However, given the fact that the base had been ransacked and SHIELD was hiding once again, she doubted it would make a difference in Steve’s fugitive status. Applying an ointment to the tender skin of her cheek, she made her way towards Steve’s room.

Once outside of it, Daisy took a deep breath as she raised her hand to knock on the door. She heard a rustling from the other side of it before it was pulled open. 

“Daisy,” Steve greeted, looking her over. He and Sam had also taken plenty of hits during the fight, but he found himself frowning when he noticed her cheek.

“Can I come in?” She asked. 

Widening the door in invitation for her to join him, he waited for her to enter before he closed the door behind her and turned to face her.

Daisy cast a glance around the room. Despite the months that had passed since Daisy had taken residence at the facility, she’d never been inside Steve’s room. His personality was reflected in it, and the room looked almost like she imagined it would look. Turning back to the reason for her visit, she spoke up. 

“That looks nasty,” Steve said, raising his hand and gently running his thumb down the obvious wound. 

“I’ve had worse,” she excused. “Steve, I just wanted to apologize. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Ward sooner. Honestly, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think it mattered.” She’d come to terms with Ward’s actions a while ago. Meeting the other version of him did throw her through a loop, but in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t change anything. She’d already managed to find closure, seeing the other version only added to it.

“I don’t think I ever really asked about it, but I know that there were feelings involved,” he said. 

“Yes, there were. And then I saw you for the first time,” she reminded him quietly, watching him look down for a moment as if he’d forgotten that fact. “And,” she stressed the word, “then there was the revelation that the team member I fell for wasn’t even real. What’s going on, Steve? You’ve never made mention of it and I know you aren’t jealous.” She could honestly say she was confused by his reaction.

“I…when you didn’t say anything about him, I thought you were purposely keeping it from me.” It wasn’t so much that he was jealous as he was concerned. He’d seen firsthand the looks the pair exchanged and Ward’s dangerous obsession with her. Given everything that she’d been through at his hands, he hoped that seeing his counterpart didn’t upset her too badly. “I know you had a life before you joined us here, but it’s like…I have no way of really touching on certain aspects of it.”

“I know,” she sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Steve watched her plop down with a frown on her face. Did that mean it was a conscious decision on her part? “So, you know you’re doing it?”

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded, thinking about her private conversation with Bucky. 

“I don’t like thinking about Ward because that leads to thoughts of Hive and my actions when I was under his sway.” She watched his frown deepen but was thankful when he chose not to comment on it. “I don’t go out of my way to purposely hold back from you with any harmful intent, it’s just…”

When she trailed off, she made no move to finish her sentence and Steve found himself claiming a spot next to her at the edge of the bed. “Just what?”

She never intended to put her feelings about Steve to words for anyone else to hear, let alone him. Saying something to Bucky was one thing as they’d both had similar struggles in the past, but saying something to Steve? She could already anticipate how the conversation would go. She felt him grasp one of her hands.

“Oh, Steve…” Bringing up her other hand, she placed it over the top of his which held her other one. “When we were in Wakanda, Bucky and I had a conversation and…” she trailed off. “Honestly, I thought I would be able to work through my issues before having this discussion with you.” She licked her lips. “You are without a doubt one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

“Thanks…” He said trailing off, unsure of where she was heading. 

“After I was released from Hive’s sway, I felt so empty. After the things I had done to my team…I felt so far removed from them.” It hadn’t been the group’s fault, it had been her guilt. “The first time I saw him after, I asked him to reinstate the bond.”

He winced upon hearing the confession. He’d never experienced something similar to that, but he could imagine the pain and confusion she’d felt at the time. He felt a pain in his heart thinking of what she’d been through in her short life, it was akin to the feeling he’d had when she first joined them. He knew she still had her struggles. As good as she’d been doing since then, there were still moments that bothered her. Daisy had never put her feelings into words, but he’d known the reflections were still there. Why hadn’t she told him that before? She had to know that he would never have judged her, that none of them would have judged her.

“He couldn’t. Whatever Lash did, it stuck. And I was angry at Hive for not being able to fix it.”

Not that he didn’t appreciate the candidness, but he still didn’t understand where she was heading with it. 

“And then there’s you…and you’re just…so good.”

Instantly, he began shaking his head in negative, not liking where she was going. “I’m gonna have to stop you right there.” He turned to face her fully. “I don’t belong on whatever pedestal you’ve subconsciously placed me on.” He wasn’t perfect, despite the enhanced body, and he never had been. 

She shook her head. “I don’t mean to place you on a pedestal,” Daisy replied. “But you aren’t tainted, not like Bucky. Not like me.”

The very end of her previous statement may have been whispered, but he heard it all the same. “That’s why you keep things to yourself? What? You’re afraid that I’ll pull away or judge you? Because I would never.” He shook his head. “I may not have experienced things quite the same way as you or Bucky, but I’m still tainted. Hydra’s infiltration of SHIELD, trying to help Bucky after all the hell he’s gone through, fighting half of my team, coming to blows with Stark and walking away from the mantle of Captain America. And in case you forgot, I’m considered a fugitive of sorts.”

She nodded slowly. “Maybe so, other than that group of government officials, no one blames you for helping Bucky and your decision to ignore the accords.” While she hadn’t seen Tony in months, she figured that enough time had passed, that he’d blown off enough steam to at least understand where Steve had been coming from during their fight. “Logically, I know you wouldn’t judge me, but I still find it difficult to really let you in, like you may change your mind or something. I…you’ve never given me any reason to think that, but it’s still there, in the back of my mind.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he quickly assured her. “And I don’t expect you to tell me everything, but if we’re going to give us a try, I would at least like to know that my girlfriend isn’t holding anything back from me.”

Other than Coulson and Lincoln, she’d never really opened completely up to people. Unfortunately, she’d learned the hard way that trusting people could be dangerous, thanks in part to Grant Ward. She’d cultivated plenty of friendships with her teammates from both SHIELD and the Avengers, but she never told everyone everything. Wanda knew because of her abilities and she’d opened up to Bucky, but even then, she’d glossed over a few things with the former assassin. 

“What if I promised that I will work on it?” She asked after licking her lips. It was going to be a work in progress seeing as she’d gotten so used to not opening up completely to people, but she would work on it.

He nodded. “I can work with that,” Steve said, pulling her against him and embracing her. “What was it like?” He asked after a moment. "You never went into further detail."

Daisy pulled away from him. When she noticed a small love seat in the corner of the room, she made her way over to it. “It was weird,” she confessed. “When I was…I guess transplanted,” se scrunched her nose at the word. “Into the computer version of me, I’d been in the bathtub and when I walked into the room and saw a large figure sleeping in the bed…” She trailed off thinking back to that moment. “I…got excited thinking it was Lincoln,” she confessed softly, feeling guilty for feeling that way even though she’d moved on. It may have been a new relationship, but she’d moved on. 

Having joined her on the settee, Steve offered her a small smile and squeezed her hand. Though he didn’t want to interrupt her, he wanted to let Daisy know that he wasn’t upset with the revelation.

“And then Ward sat up and it was so weird. I raised my hand like I was going to use my powers against him and nothing happened and he started teasing me about it like this Ward would do before everything happened.” It had been surprising and did nothing but keep her on her toes. “Oh, and the Hydra thing? It was so weird to find out that version of me worked for them.” She shuddered thinking about the things the organization she’d seen, the things that Fitz and Lady Hydra had done. “I wonder what happened to her to make her think joining up would be a good idea?”

He could only shrug in response. He couldn’t help but wonder what happened to him. Had he even been a part of that world, once upon a time? Surely he would have fought the organization. Did that mean he’d died?

“I didn’t like that world,” she wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t like a world without Captain America in it and all of his...your contributions. I mean seeing how easily they tore families apart, and to think I was part of it, or any version of me…” A deep frown pulled at her lips. “Fitz once tried to explain the multi-verse theory for us, it was during a particular situation we’d been dealing with.” She hadn’t had time to really think on it at the time. “The framework, the world we left, I can help but wonder if there is actually a world out there where Hydra does reign supreme and I work for it?”

He frowned. He would need to ask on that. Too bad Bruce was still MIA, he probably would have been the perfect person to talk to. 

“Pulling herself from the disheartening thought she focused on a better one. “It was nice to see Trip again though.” Steve placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. “It’s almost like I got a chance for closure.” Tears pricked at her eyes but she forced the welling emotion away. “And his reaction when I first hugged him.” She’d already started giggling before she finished her statement. Whenever she thought back to her fallen comrade, she always remembered him with open and confident smile, but she’d forgotten what his laughter sounded like. Hearing it again had been an old familiar feeling that comforted her as soon as she’d heard it. “I almost forgot what his voice sounded like,” she confessed. “I heard somewhere once that when it came to remembering the sound of someone’s voice that it was easier to remember them saying a particular phrase.” She could just hear his: ‘C’mon girl, you know I look good.’ 

He understood all too well the guilt she still felt for Trip’s death. Despite the fact that Trip made the decision to follow her with the intent to help, Daisy had never quite gotten over it. He remembered hearing about the blaming that went on the following weeks and though apologies had been exchanged, the words had been said and there was no going back once they’d been out there.

“Oh! You should have seen Coulson,” she said chuckling. “He was like this ‘I make my own soap because I’m that paranoid about the government’ person.” 

His lips began twitching. “His own soap?”

“His own soap,” she replied, still laughing. When her smile died down, she looked at him in all seriousness. “Thank you for your help with Aida. You and Sam,” she corrected. Luckily, Sam returned right in time to assist them with Aida. “I don’t know what would have happened with her otherwise.” She knew they probably would have handled it without the help of two Avengers, but at what cost? Closing her eyes, she let out a large yawn. “I should head back to my room, I just…I wanted to speak to you before everything sat and festered.”

“Stay here.”

She turned her head so quickly to look at him she was afraid she’d get whiplash. He wanted her to stay…with him…in his room? Had she heard that correctly? She assumed her shock was clearly written over her face because he chuckled.

“Your virtue is safe with me, Daisy,” he told her playfully, though he was completely serious about wanting her to stay with him. “You were unconscious for two weeks.” They’d been a couple of the longest weeks of his life. “And now that you aren’t, I…I’m not quite ready to let you out of my sight just yet.”  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

The following morning, the group convened in the living room. After a good night’s rest and showers, everyone appeared better prepared to take on the day and the fallout from the LMD’s and Aida. 

“And there’s nothing that can be done?” Daisy asked, referring to leaving the Playground behind. Though her favorite place that she’d inhabited since joining Coulson was still the bus, there were still memories of good times and good people at their most recent base and she found herself not wanting to leave it behind.

Coulson smiled sadly, understanding her feelings. “Even if the government wasn’t involved, it’s inhospitable at this point. There used to be clean-up crews, if you will, that would take care of rebuilding in a timely manner. But like almost everything else after Hydra…” 

“What about Piper and the others?” Elena asked, sitting next to Mack on the couch. Since joining him in the framework and watching him lose his daughter all over again, she hadn’t left his side. While the ‘core’ group had managed to stay together, Piper and Davis as well as various other agents were still missing. 

Coulson shook his head. “For the time being, we need to hang low.” He hated the idea of leaving Piper and the others to fend for themselves, but he needed to think of the situation in a larger scale. He didn’t know where anyone had gone or if they were even alive, to reach out to them would mean garnering attention from everyone else and he didn’t want to risk it. “Speaking of which,” he turned to Steve. “Thank you for offering us a place for the time being. I’ve got a place in mind, but I don’t think anyone wants to start opening procedures after last night.”

“Not at all,” Steve dismissed. After the ordeal they’d faced, they needed a couple days to recuperate. 

“What do we do now?” Jemma asked, piping up from another area of the room.

Coulson shook his head. “Well, I think I found a base that could potentially work as another Hub at least for the time being, but right now, I’m starving. I noticed that there’s a little diner not too far from here.”

“You want to go out and eat?” May asked for clarification. 

“After the ordeal we just went through, we deserve it. I know it isn’t fancy, but it’s something.” Coulson replied easily enough. “My treat…” He looked around at the group assembled, watching as they all nodded or shrugged. He turned towards Steve and Sam. “You guys are more than welcome to join us.”

Sam smiled jovially. “Sounds good to me.”

Steve nodded along with the black man. “I could go for some food right now.”

“Good. Will an hour be enough time for everyone to be ready to go?” When he received nods from everyone he confirmed that they’d reconvene in the same spot in an hour’s time. He watched everyone disperse, all except Daisy, whom remained seated in the corner of the room. When the pair were alone, he made his way towards her. “I’m losing a team member, aren’t I?” He asked, not needing her to say anything. He figured that once she joined Steve and Natasha it was only a matter of time before Daisy officially left the organization.

“I…I don’t know,” she admitted, not wanting to offend him. Without Coulson, none of this would have happened, and she meant that in a good way. “But I can tell you that I’m not eager to leave Steve’s side just yet,” Daisy tacked on. Honestly, she had no idea what to do. Coulson was the first person who had ever given her a home. It was because of him that she had a family and a purpose and she didn’t want to turn her back on it. However, she also wanted to see where her relationship with Steve would end up taking her and she didn’t want to be apart from him for too long.

Coulson nodded slowly and sighed. “Go get ready, we’ll discuss this later,” he said with a sad smile. As he watched her leave the room he decided that after they returned from the diner he would have to have a serious conversation with Steve. 

End

Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and liked this story. I purposely left the ending open in case I turned it into a sequel. Or if I decide not to, it is open enough so that the readers can make their own interpretations as the diner scene is where the group is abducted and sent to the future.


End file.
